Paul Maxwell let out a deep exhale as he walked out from an underpass in a Henderson wash and into the baking June heat.
Having just checked on an unhoused man in the wash who was going through a possible medical emergency, a wide-eyed Maxwell rejoined his group of five fellow Henderson Angels. The man had said a friend was going to take him to the hospital, and Maxwell described the interaction as a “rubber-band moment.”
“Every Saturday there’s one moment where I’m like ‘Whoa,’” he said. “It’s like snapping a rubber band to your forehead.”
Maxwell founded the nonprofit Henderson Angels to help the unhoused community. The group goes out every weekend armed with food, water, cigarettes, and NARCAN (for treatment of opioid overdoses). But their ultimate goal is to connect people experiencing homelessness with social services, such as medical assistance, addiction counseling, and housing.
“That’s what they need, is someone in their life who can offer help if they need it,” Henderson Angels Outreach Director Ray Gonzales says. “And if not, they know we’re here.”
Amy Lipsey, who’s currently unhoused, says Maxwell’s team members “have respect for us. We’re not categorized as homeless, drunken tweakers, whatever.”
It’s not the only community Maxwell is reaching out to. Henderson Angels is one of nine nonprofits operating within a larger organization, the Angel Charitable Corporation. Maxwell founded the corporation in mid-2022 with the idea of creating a “charity of charities” to help as many people as possible without getting stuck on just one idea.
Angel Charitable Corporation helps its nonprofits achieve 501(c)(3) status by covering costs and operations. It then takes 10 percent or less of each nonprofit’s earnings to pay for administrative expenses. The nine organizations operating under the corporate banner do homeless community outreach, give Christmas gifts to children of fallen police officers, provide financial aid for low-income people, house animals in need, and offer multiple forms of care for underprivileged children.
The “angel” in the brand names comes from the nickname Maxwell’s grandmother had for her grandchildren. He says she taught him the importance of doing good deeds — anonymously, if possible.
“He’s kind of the one that’s the deepest in this,” Todd Archambault, one of the program directors for the corporation, says about Maxwell. “He lives and breathes this stuff to a whole new level, and it’s inspiring.”
Maxwell previously ran an insurance company alongside his nonprofit work, but he sold his company before starting the Angel Charitable Corporation. He says he’s lived off a $1,000-per-month salary and savings from selling his company since the corporation started.
“I was in awe of his passion and his commitment,” Devon Carothers, Maxwell’s sister and another program director, says. “You can see what he’s given and what he’s donated of his time and his own personal assets, and then see that it’s for the greater good of so many different chapters.”
Maxwell’s passion shone through that June day in the Henderson wash, as he listened to Gonzales recount his conversation with a woman experiencing homelessness. She’d said she would accept help connecting to medical services. Hearing this, Maxwell pumped both fists in celebration.
“This is making me warm inside,” he said, as Gonzales coordinated care for the woman. Even on a 94-degree day, it’s a good feeling.